1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spin processing apparatus and a spin processing method by which a substrate being driven to rotate is sequentially subjected to treatments using plural treatment liquids.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, in a process of manufacturing a liquid-crystal display device and a semiconductor device, circuit patterns are formed on a substrate, such as a rectangular glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer. When a circuit pattern is formed, a developing treatment, an etching treatment, and a resist separation treatment are preformed on the substrate. When these treatments each are preformed, firstly, a developer, an etchant, or a remover is supplied as a first treatment liquid for the substrate, to perform a predetermined treatment. Subsequently, as a second treatment liquid, a cleaner such as pure water is supplied to perform a cleaning treatment.
The first treatment liquids such as a developer, etchant, and remover are expensive, and are therefore collected afterward and used repeatedly. To repeatedly use such a first treatment liquid, the first treatment liquid need be collected without being mixed with the second treatment liquid.
To avoid mixture of the first and second treatment liquids, the first and second treatment liquids need be collected through respectively different routes.
In some cases, however, a substrate is sequentially processed by plural kinds of first treatment liquids as described above. For example, a substrate subjected to a developing treatment is etched with a etchant, is then cleaned with a cleaner, and is further subjected to a resist separation treatment with a remover. Thereafter, the substrate is cleaned again by a cleaner, and conveyed to a next process.
In such cases, when the etchant and remover are repeatedly used, these treatment liquids each are required to be separated and collected without mixing any other treatment liquid into these treatment liquids.
Conventionally, an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known as a spin processing apparatus which processes a substrate with plural treatment liquids and collects the treatment liquids separated from each other. The spin processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a rotary table which is driven to rotate with a substrate held in a cup member. Plural partitions which are annular relative to radial directions of the rotary table are provided to be movable in vertical directions in the cup member.
Further, when a treatment liquid is supplied for the substrate held on the rotary table to perform a treatment, one of the plural partitions is lifted up. The treatment liquid which scatters due to a centrifugal force generated by rotation of the substrate is thereby made collide with and drop along an inner circumferential surface of the lifted partition.
Collection tubes are connected to bottom parts of the cup respectively corresponding to spaces formed in inner circumferential surfaces of the partitions. Accordingly, treatment liquids which drop into the spaces are separately collected by the collection tubes.
That is, a space into which a treatment liquid scattering from the substrate drops can be set depending on which one of the plural partitions is lifted up. Therefore, plural kinds of treatment liquids which are supplied to a substrate can be collected, separated respectively for the spaces.